Our life in the foothills of Calaveras County, California. The pond is at the center of everything. In case we should forget, the bullfrogs yell it out all summer long. A noisy place, but home.

Pond!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

DeFeet

Three days of parent/teacher conferences down -- one to go. Between our two classes, Sue and I share 53 students and since she teaches all the math and I all the language arts, we decided to meet jointly with all of the parents of our combined classes. In retrospect, not the wisest decision. After our third afternoon of non-stop yapping, both of us have tired mouths, fried brains and I, for one, no longer know what or even who I'm talking about.

Today I compounded my woes by wearing a pair of shoes that cut into the top of my feet. I knew they would when I considered them this morning, but wedged them on anyway. What can I say -- they're cute little flats that look great with trousers and I was eager to look teacherish. By afternoon my feet had expanded and I was in pain. During the fourth conference, I hid my feet under the table and surreptitiously slipped my shoes off. Ahhhhh.... Unfortunately, my feet strongly resisted getting back in those shoes when the conference was over. Feeling like Cinderella's largest-footed stepsister, I finally managed to cram my feet back in them and then ever-so elegantly hobbled the parent over to the door.

About Me

My husband and I live in a small house by a small pond that is just past the first and smallest foothill of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Our nearest town has the rather large name of Copperopolis, but the town itself is also very small. During the school year I drive my small car down into the valley to teach 4th grade at – you guessed it – a smallish school. On both a grand and a personal scale, life is too short and too miraculous to be taken for granted. This chronicle of our life here at Frogpond Acres is one way for me to remain mindful and appreciative of the many not-so-small wonders and blessings that surround us.